The parasympathetic secretomotor fibres to parotid traverse through all of the following, EXCEPT:
High-Yield Explanation
The parasympathetic secretomotor fibres to parotid arises from the glossopharyngeal nerve. The nerve reaches the gland tympanic branch, the lesser petrosal nerve, the otic ganglion and the auriculotemporal nerve. Course of the nerve: Preganglionic parasympathetic fibers originate from inferior salivary nucleus in the medulla oblongata and are carried in the glossopharyngeal nerve. These fibers leave the glossopharyngeal nerve in its tympanic branch, which enters the middle ear. Here it breaks into tympanic plexus which gives origin to lesser petrosal nerve. This nerve enters the middle cranial fossa from where it enters infratemporal fossa to terminate in otic ganglion. Postganglionic fibres join the auriculotemporal nerve which provide secretomotor fibers to parotid gland. Ref: Clinical Anatomy By Regions By Richard S. Snell, 7th Edition, Page 787; Neurological Differential Diagnosis By John Patten, 2nd Edition, Page 66; Clinical Anatomy (A Problem Solving Approach) By Kulkarni, 2nd Edition, Page 341